Rangers' campaign for the Scottish Premiership crown suffered a severe setback on Saturday when they were beaten by Motherwell at Ibrox, slipping to third place in the league. Manager Danny Röhr entered the post‑split fixture needing all three points to stay ahead of Celtic, but the match began disastrously for the home side.
Early on, Lukas Fadinger produced a stunning strike that silenced the Ibrox crowd, giving Motherwell an unexpected lead. The pressure mounted further when, before the half‑hour mark, Emmanuel Longelo found the back post and tucked the ball away, putting the visitors two goals up.
Faced with a 0‑2 deficit at the break, Röhr made a tactical overhaul, abandoning his initial 4‑2‑2‑2 set‑up in favour of a more attacking 4‑3‑3. The change appeared to spark life into the Rangers' performance. Within minutes of the restart, Youssef Chermiti surged forward and reduced the margin, prompting a roar from the home supporters.
The resurgence continued as Nicolas Raskin linked up with Chermiti, and the pair combined to level the score, igniting a brief period of optimism among the Rangers faithful. However, Motherwell, who had already drawn twice with Rangers at Fir Park earlier in the season, were not willing to surrender. In the dying moments of regular time, Longelo unleashed a powerful drive that struck the head of Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez and deflected into the net, restoring Motherwell's lead. The goal proved decisive, delivering the Steelmen their first league victory in six matches and consigning Rangers to a 2‑3 defeat.
The loss leaves Rangers on 69 points, now four points adrift of league leaders Hearts with only four games remaining in the campaign. Motherwell, meanwhile, sit in fourth place and are still pursuing a spot in European competition for the coming season. The result also follows a dramatic 6‑3 comeback win over Falkirk, where Rangers overturned a two‑goal deficit, but they could not replicate that resilience against a determined Motherwell side. Röhr's halftime adjustments were evident.
Switching from a 4‑2‑2‑2 to his preferred 4‑3‑3 formation, he introduced fresh personnel and a more forward‑leaning approach. The impact was almost immediate: Chermiti's goal in the 51st minute cut the deficit, and a collaborative effort between him and Raskin saw the Light Blues equalise in the 70th minute, with the Belgian midfielder delivering the final touch. Yet the joy was short‑lived. In the final minute of normal time, Longelo's shot ricocheted off Fernandez's head and found the back of the net, sealing Motherwell's win and ending Rangers' hopes of securing three points.
For a club still in contention for the title, the performance was underwhelming, especially in front of a passionate home crowd. The next challenge looms on May 4, when Rangers travel to face Hearts at Tynecastle, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The outcome of that encounter could prove pivotal in determining whether Rangers can still mount a late‑season surge. After the match, Röhr addressed Sky Sports News, emphasizing the need to maintain belief and momentum.
He said, "My job is to go forward, lead them, I will lift them. We can be disappointed, but we lift them again, I give them the belief. It's not over, this is the part in this split, you have to carry on.
It makes no sense to think it's over. If there's the final whistle at the end of the season, then it's over. My team did well so far and I have no doubts that we can do again, to take four wins, but it's not easy, we know this, and with this point we go forward. We keep believing in what we are doing and we have the chance to turn the next game back to our side." His comments underscored the manager's resolve to keep the squad focused despite the setback.
The defeat also highlights the fine margins that can decide a title race. A single deflection altered the result, turning what could have been a morale‑boosting draw into a painful loss. As the season draws to a close, Rangers must regroup, refine their tactics, and extract maximum points from the remaining fixtures if they hope to close the gap on Hearts and keep their championship ambitions alive. The upcoming fixtures will test the team's character and determine whether they can recover from this blow and finish the campaign strongly.